Integrative counselling brings together different therapeutic approaches rather than relying on one particular way of working.

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I mainly draw from person-centred, psychodynamic and cognitive approaches. This allows our work to be shaped around you, what you are experiencing and what feels most helpful as counselling develops.

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PERSON-CENTRED THERAPY

Understanding Your Experience

Person-centred counselling places you and your experience at the heart of the work. It is based on the belief that you have the capacity to understand yourself and make choices about what feels right for you.

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An important part of this approach is the relationship between counsellor and client. I aim to offer a warm, accepting and non-judgemental relationship where you can talk openly without feeling that you need to give the right answers or be a particular way.

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Empathy: I will try to understand your experiences from your perspective and how they feel for you.

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Acceptance: You can talk openly about difficult thoughts, feelings and experiences without fear of being judged.

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Genuineness: I aim to be genuine and present with you rather than hiding behind a clinical or distant role.

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PSYCHODYNAMIC THERAPY

Understanding How the Past May Affect the Present

Sometimes experiences from earlier in our lives continue to influence how we think, feel and relate to other people, even when we are not immediately aware of the connection.

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A psychodynamic approach allows us to explore these experiences and notice patterns that may have developed over time. This might include relationships, experiences from childhood, ways of protecting yourself emotionally or situations that seem to keep repeating.

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The aim is not to spend every session talking about the past. It is about understanding whether something from the past may be influencing what is happening for you now.

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Past Experiences: We may explore significant experiences and relationships and consider how they could be affecting you today.

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Patterns: We can notice recurring patterns in relationships, emotions or behaviour and explore where they may have developed.

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Self-Awareness: Understanding these connections can help you recognise why you respond in certain ways and give you more choice in how you respond in the future.

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COGNITIVE APPROACH

Exploring Thoughts and Beliefs

The way we think about ourselves, other people and situations can have a powerful influence on how we feel and respond.

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At times, we may notice thoughts or beliefs that have become automatic, particularly around anxiety, confidence, relationships or how we see ourselves.

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Where it is helpful, we can explore these thoughts together, consider where they may have come from and question whether they still reflect your experience today.

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Thought Patterns: We can identify thoughts that seem to appear repeatedly and explore how they affect your emotions and behaviour.

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Beliefs: We may explore some of the beliefs you hold about yourself, relationships or the world around you and consider how they developed.

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Different Perspectives: Sometimes looking at a situation from another perspective can help loosen patterns of thinking that have felt difficult to change.

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INTEGRATING THE APPROACHES

Counselling Shaped Around You

Being an integrative counsellor means I do not expect you to fit into one particular model of therapy.

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For example, someone struggling with low self-esteem might need the acceptance and understanding of a person-centred approach while also exploring where their view of themselves developed and noticing some of the thoughts and beliefs that continue to reinforce it.

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For somebody else, the work may look completely different.

This flexibility allows the counselling to develop according to what you bring rather than following a predetermined programme.

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A Collaborative Relationship

I see counselling as something we do together. I will listen and give you space, but I may also ask questions, share observations or gently challenge something when I think it could be helpful.

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There may be times when we focus on what is happening in your life now and others when we explore earlier experiences or recurring patterns. We can notice together what seems useful and allow that to guide the work.

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My role is not to tell you what you should do. It is to help you understand yourself and your experiences more deeply so that you can decide what feels right for you and how you would like to move forward.